To say we live in decisive times is an understatement; we can hardly go a day without hearing about the next big political scandal. No matter what side one stands on one thing is clear: The other side is wrong. It’s a divide that’s been plaguing the nation, but it's easy to understand when considering how each side deals with information. Often, studies suggest, that it comes down to being a case of facts versus feelings. As it happens, there's a term for a leader whose platform is based on stirring up feelings, and the term is demagogue. A demagogue is unfortunately what we've been stuck with. Feelings like fear, anger, mistrust, and confusion can lead to drastic mistakes and irreparable damage not only to us, but the world around us, these are the feelings that a demagogue targets. To paint an enemy out of others, to make one’s self the only one who knows the …show more content…
It’s not a divide that we can't overcome, but first we need to realize a few things. The first of many things to realize is that the platform for our newly elected political agitator is fear, which is among the strongest of all emotions. It drives people to act, speak, and think, in ways they never thought they could, but fear is also easy to manipulate. For someone in political power, it’s easy to turn a nation's fear onto certain topics: others, outsiders, those who are different. We've seen this throughout history, and I won't deny that I understand it; after all, it is the most common fear, the fear of the unknown. A fear that encompasses every stage of life. What made that noise? Did I pass that test? What comes after death? The danger of this fear comes in when someone takes to a national stage and declares that they understand the unknown, and only this can stop it, and you have to support this one